Chapter 53 Countdown to Zero I Love You
Ye Lin hurriedly left with Thor, and Xu Nuo closed the door with the book in his arms.
Purification...
I had purified Wei Yan before, but Qi Qian...
"Sister, are you going to purify me?" Qi Qian asked while sitting on the edge of the bed.
From the beginning till now, he has never moved from there.
Xu Nuo said, "Given your level of contamination, I'm afraid purification alone isn't enough; spiritual union is also necessary."
Spiritual union requires deep soothing of the Sentinel's spiritual landscape. The two people are bound and integrated on the spiritual level. If the degree of compatibility between the two parties is high, spiritual pleasure will be generated, which is the most intimate contact second only to physical union.
Qi Qian saw her hesitation and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. I don't need that. As long as I can always be by my sister's side, that's all that matters."
Xu Nuo put the book on the table without saying anything.
Qi Qian is S-level, and it would be very difficult for her to combine with her current A-level strength.
I'm afraid that the only person in the world who can suppress a heavily polluted S-class sentinel through spiritual fusion is Tang Ningyue.
She thought of those eyes that were as inclusive and moist as the sea.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?" Qi Qian had come from the edge of the bed to her, lowering his head to get closer to her line of sight. "Are you thinking about someone else?"
Xu Nuo stretched out his index finger and tapped the corner of his eye: "I'm thinking about how to restore the original color here."
Qi Qian took her hand and rubbed it against his palm: "If you like green eyes, I will try my best to restore them."
Xu Nuo pulled his hand back: "What does this have to do with my liking? This is for your safety."
"But if my sister doesn't like it..."
Xu Nuo: “Hmm?”
Qi Qian didn't know what he was thinking about, and his eyes were a little gloomy.
He smiled and said, "Nothing. Sister, are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"
Xu Nuo touched his stomach and said, "I'm really hungry. Let's go and see if there's anything good to eat. Then we can go shopping."
She was the first to push the door open and go downstairs. Qi Qian fell behind her, looking at her back from afar, with the corners of his mouth drooping.
But if his sister doesn't like him, what's the point of his life?
If Xu Nuo doesn't love Qi Qian, why should Qi Qian live?
After dinner, Xu Nuo did not forget his purpose.
She wanted Qi Qian to feel the friendliness of other people and make more friends.
She did what she said. She took people from one end of the city to the other, from the clothing store to the funeral clothing store, and went wherever there were many people.
But wherever they entered, the crowds were terrified and rushed out of the shops. The owners did not blame them for scaring away the customers, but just respectfully and fearfully said they would give them anything they wanted.
Although Qi Qian was shunned like the plague, he was not angry. He thanked with a smile and was in a very good mood.
After being politely invited out by the store owner with gifts again, the smile on Xu Nuo's face shifted completely to Qi Qian.
Despite repeatedly assuring the owner that her presence posed no threat, the shop owner's three-year-old son still cried in fear.
Xu Nuo raised his head and howled, "Why on earth!"
"What kind of rumors did Zhou Junlin spread about you back then? Everyone was so scared!"
Mentioning Qi Qian can stop children from crying at night.
Xu Nuo didn't dare to take him into the store again, so he could only walk to a place with fewer people. After turning several corners, he arrived at an alley.
There are very few people coming and going in this place. The houses are dilapidated and there are some makeshift shelters made of broken pieces of cardboard.
They are all too familiar with it.
Xu Nuo, carrying the snacks he had just bought from the pastry shop, walked up to a dilapidated house and knocked on the door.
I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered.
Just as he was thinking about it, a little girl came out from the tattered tent next to the house, ran to the door barefoot and blocked Xu Nuo's hand from knocking on the door.
The little girl looked very alert: "Who are you?"
She was afraid of them, but not because of the fear of seeing an S-class sentinel, but because she was wary of bad guys who might appear in her life at any time.
Just like what we promised when we were little.
Xu Nuo's eyes softened as he squatted down and asked, "Hello, little friend. We are tourists here. We were just strolling around. Seeing that there was no one outside, we wanted to knock on the door and ask where this is."
"This is a slum. What are tourists doing here? Go back."
Xu Nuo suddenly realized: "So that's how it is, then we came to the right place."
The little girl's eyes became more alert: "What are you doing? Don't bully Grandma Hua!"
Xu Nuo: "I also lived in the slums when I was a child, so when I grow up, I always come to the slums to take a look. Is the Grandma Hua you mentioned living in this house? I knocked on the door just now but no one answered."
The little girl was half-believing and half-doubting, but her attention was diverted by the fact that no one was around: "Grandma has been here the whole time, it's impossible for her not to respond."
Xu Nuo frowned when he heard this: "Can you open this door? Maybe something happened to you because of your old age."
The little girl was also worried about the safety of the people in the house, but after looking at the house and then at the stranger in front of her, her caution took over: "No, I have to wait for my brother to come back."
"elder brother?"
Before Xu Nuo could ask in detail, a sudden thunderclap sounded behind him.
"Who are you! Let my sister go!"
A half-grown boy dressed in rags rushed over with a shovel in his hand. It had just rained and the road was slippery. The boy rushed too fast and slipped, and fell to his knees in front of the three men with the shovel in his hand.
Xu Nuo made way for him to kneel down and said, "We just met, there's no need to be so polite."
The boy ignored his injuries, climbed up and shielded his sister behind him, his whole body wet.
His sister touched his soaked clothes and hurried to comfort him: "Brother, I'm fine. They didn't do anything to me. It was grandma. It seems that grandma is not in the room."
The boy thought of something and looked at the two of them warily: "I'm going to open the door, sister, go back to the tent."
The little girl nodded obediently, pattered her steps back into the tent, and poked her head out: "Brother, I'm home."
After hearing his sister's answer, the boy put down the shovel, tightened his pants, climbed onto the roof by grabbing the low eaves, and flipped directly in from the roof.
Not long after, hurried footsteps were heard from inside the door, the bolt was removed, the door was pushed open, and the boy rushed out carrying someone on his back.
"Sister, grandma fainted! I'm taking her to see a doctor, don't run around at home!"
He ran out like a whirlwind as he had come.
Xu Nuo and Qi Qian looked at each other and were about to follow. The little girl unzipped the tent and said, "Brother won't go to the doctor on the street. It's expensive there. Can you take grandma to see a doctor?"
After getting their consent, the little girl took them to a more remote and muddy slum.
The boy, sweating profusely, carried the old man on his back and walked around in front of a tent, but the tent was closed and no one was seen.
"Brother, what's wrong with grandma?" the little girl asked anxiously.
The boy was obviously a teenager, not very tall, and carrying the elderly woman, who was almost the same size as him, was already extremely strenuous. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he forced himself to hold them back when he saw his sister coming. "The doctor said he can't treat grandma. She has a high fever, and he doesn't have any medicine."
The little girl's eyes also turned red, and she kept muttering "grandma".
The little boy couldn't hold back his tears, and a hand appeared in his blurred vision.
He looked up and felt his body lighten. The man among the two adults had taken his grandmother from him and carried her on his back.
The man had a stern appearance, a straight posture, and a distant aura. It was obvious at first glance that he was not an ordinary person. However, there was a hint of gentleness in his eyes as he looked at him: "Leave it to me."
Xu Nuo touched the little girl's head and took her hand: "Let's go see a doctor."
The two half-grown children pretending to be mature followed an adult who they didn't know whether he was a good person or a bad person onto the street without knowing what they were doing.
Hospital.
The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead and took the temperature of Grandma Hua on the hospital bed and gave her an IV. Qi Qian went to pay the bill, and Xu Nuo sat in a chair to accompany her.
The two children's faces were dirty and covered with tear marks. They squatted on the floor of their grandmother's bed and refused to lie down on the accompanying bed no matter what.
Xu Nuo unpacked the snack and handed it to the little girl.
The little girl huddled in her brother's arms, sobbing. Her hands clutched the corners of her clothes, and she looked at her with tears in her eyes: "My brother said that we can't eat strangers' food."
Xu Nuo looked at the little boy.
The little boy scratched his head, then let go of his sister's embrace and said, "Sister, eat. They are helping us to take care of grandma."
"Thank you, sister," the little girl wiped away her tears, grabbed a rose-shaped pastry from Xu Nuo's hand, and took a small bite. "Brother, it's so sweet. Miaomiao has never eaten such a sweet pastry. Brother will have one too."
The little boy rubbed her head and said, "Brother won't eat it, Miaomiao will eat it. When brother grows up and has strength, he will buy a lot of cakes for Miaomiao."
Xu Nuo didn't allow any discussion and stuffed a piece into his brother's hand: "Don't be polite, there are plenty, I'm very rich."
Fino's nominal director earned a good salary. The two children huddled together, thanking him with tears in their eyes while eating cakes.
Xu Nuo looked at them for a while, then held his chin in his hand and said, "My name is Xu Nuo. What are your names?"
My brother chewed some cake and mumbled, "My name is Zhang Zhang, also known as Bow Master Zhang, and her name is Miaomiao."
Xu Nuo: "Miao Miao doesn't have a last name?"
"Miaomiao's surname is not Zhang, we are not related by blood..." The brother didn't finish speaking when the girl interrupted, "My name is Zhang Miaomiao, I am your sister."
Xu Nuo placed the cake box in front of them: "That's good. It has my brother's last name, so we'll be closer when we grow up."
Zhang Zhang wiped his mouth, sat up straight, and said solemnly, "Thank you, sister and brother. Without your help, grandma would be in danger... I'm still young and can't repay you. When I grow up, I will definitely repay you well!"
Xu Nuo noticed that he took Miaomiao out of the reward.
Under such living conditions, Miaomiao has a harder life as a girl. It is understandable that Zhang Zhang has his own selfish desire not to want his sister to be overwhelmed by the desire for repayment in the future.
“How many kids like you are there in the ghetto?”
Miaomiao's eyes turned red and she shook her head: "Only us..."
Qi Qian had just paid the bill and returned with the food provided by the hospital cafeteria. "Grandma's fever has subsided. She's fine. She'll be able to go home after a few days of observation. Let's eat first."
The two children were no longer polite, washed their hands, and ate with the adults.
Xu Nuo picked up some food for Miao Miao and said, "What do you mean by it's just you two?"
Miaomiao's mouth pursed as if she was about to cry. Zhang Zhang continued, "A few months ago, someone here got a strange disease. Their skin rotted and lumps grew all over. They died not long after. After that, people kept getting sick with all sorts of symptoms. Slowly, everyone died, leaving only a few scattered people."
"Grandma Hua has watched us grow up and helped us a lot. We don't want her to..."
Qi Qian: "She is not infected."
Xu Nuo looked at him and he continued, "The hospital staff told me about the recent slum situation. That area will be isolated soon."
"Who said we need to be quarantined? The base commander?" Zhang Zhang asked excitedly, "What about the others? They'll die!"
Xu Nuo glanced around the ward and said, "No wonder they gave us a single room. The doctor even took protective measures when he came in."
Qi Qian lowered his head and looked at the child: "The doctor said that evolved people have strong constitutions and will not be infected."
What this means is that the hospital is taking precautions against the two children and their grandmother.
Miaomiao understood and tears as big as beans fell from her eyes again.
Xu Nuo patted her head, looking thoughtful. "It's okay. You guys stay here with grandma first. No one will bully you. Tomorrow, I'll ask the base commander about the situation."
It was late at night when Xu Nuo returned to the hotel after settling the two children. After washing up, he leaned against the door and yawned.
Qi Qian was helping her hang out the clothes: "Do you want to blow dry your hair?"
Xu Nuo was exhausted after a day of shopping: "Could you trouble me?"
Qi Qian took the hair dryer and pushed her to sit down: "Sister, just tell me what you want me to do. There's no need to distance yourself from me."
The heat from the hairdryer wafted through the ends of his hair. Xu Nuo narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you alienating me from?"
Qi Qian gathered her hair and put it in bunches. "You took me shopping all day today. We went into shops and talked to people. We even went to the slums. Sister wanted me to meet other people."
Xu Nuo: "I can't hide it from you."
"They're all afraid of me. It doesn't make any sense."
Xu Nuo: "Aren't there Miaomiao and Zhang Zhang?"
Qi Qian ran his hand through her hair. "They have something to ask for. Did you also ask for something when you took me in?"
He had nothing at that time.
Seeing that the topic was about to be evaded, Xu Nuo hurriedly said, "Do Miaomiao and Zhang Zhang look like us when we were kids? I'm Zhang Zhang, and you're Miaomiao."
Qi Qian frowned: "Not like that."
When he was little, he would rush in front of his sister to prevent her from getting hurt.
Besides, their age difference is not that big.
Xu Nuo held his chin in his hand and said, "Well, it's not quite like him, but it's also pitiful... What on earth is this strange disease?"
"It's most likely man-made." Qi Qian said firmly.
After a pause, he added, "It was a man-made experiment. It might have been done by Fino."
"So sure?"
Qi Qian lowered the heat level and spoke calmly, "I saw this when I was a kid. It was in another area of the experimental complex. Most of the people there were ordinary people, forcibly injected with drugs, and transformed into bizarre creatures. Zhou Junlin not only wanted to obtain the genes of the perfect sentinels, but also wanted to find a way to catalyze the evolution of ordinary people. If he succeeded, I'm afraid the White Tower's position would change hands."
Xu Nuo patted his chest and said, "Luckily, he didn't succeed. But Zhou Junlin is dead, and the experimental facilities at the Fino headquarters were destroyed by you. How could someone still do this?"
After his hair was almost blow-dried, Qi Qian straightened it and gently massaged the back of his head with his palm. "Finuo has many branch bases, and Zhou Xuanyi has only been in power for a short time. He hasn't had time to oversee the overall situation. It's normal for some people to be dissatisfied and unwilling to obey."
His hands were large, his fingers long, and he inserted his five fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp along the flow of his hair. Xu Nuo sighed comfortably, "No wonder he said his father has many adopted sons outside. It turns out he's waiting for us here. He arranged the route to pass through here because he wants us to help him remove the stumbling blocks?"
Qi Qian: "You're really cunning."
Xu Nuo: "Too many."
"However, since he offered us the positions of Honorary Director and Security Minister, I'll consider it a favor and help Miaomiao and Zhang Zhang by helping him get started."
The next morning, someone knocked on the door urgently.
Xu Nuo opened the door yawning, but before he could see clearly, a figure roared and rushed towards him.
"--ah!"
Qi Qian arrived in time and subdued the man. Xu Nuo was still sleepy and rubbed his eyes, looking a little dazed.
Qi Qian stood in front of her, picked her up from the ground with a cold face, and walked into the room: "Close the door."
"oh."
She closed the door and poured some water to moisten her throat.
After drinking the water, the person on the ground slowly woke up. When he saw where he was, he shouted, "Miss Xu, help!"
When he tilted his head back, Xu Nuo almost spit out the water in his mouth.
This is an old man with white hair and wrinkles on his face. He has six ear piercings and wears a T-shirt, ripped jeans and running shoes.
Tears welled up in his eyes, "Only you can save me!"
Xu Nuo said in embarrassment: "Mr....Mr., what's wrong with you?"
The old man burst into tears: "I'm only 25!"
Xu Nuo didn't reply. He suddenly burst into tears: "It's Fino! Fino injected me with the drug, and that's why I became like this!"
Triggering the key words, Xu Nuo pulled him up from the ground: "Speak properly, where are you from, and what exactly happened?"
The old man wiped away a tear, his wrinkled face filled with fear. "I live in the east part, what people call the slums. I used to have a house, and my living conditions were better than most people's. One day, someone from outside came and said they had a great opportunity for me. They told me to apply for a job at the laboratory of the Phino branch. If I was successful, I could move out to the street and not have to live here anymore."
"You went?"
The old man nodded, his eyes wandering.
Xu Nuo frowned: "Did you do anything else?"
The old man immediately prostrated himself on the ground, trembling, "I, I really can't help it, I'm just too scared..."
Xu Nuo frowned: "Speak properly."
The old man lamented: "I was deceived and took drugs, which turned me into this horrible state. The people in Fino said... if I refer more people to me, they will give me the medicine to recover."
"I have no choice! If I don't take the pesticide, I'll die! Others are doing it too!"
Xu Nuo rubbed his brows: "Then why did you come to see me?"
"I want to continue fighting—" The old man suddenly widened his eyes and stretched out his hand towards her struggling face. "Medicine... I came to you... I have medicine..."
With a creaking sound, his body quickly aged and became inactive, his skin wrinkled and drooped, his face shrank into a piece of old bark, and his whole body curled up, becoming just skin and bones.
"Hehe...Hehe, give me the medicine..." The old man's pupils were blank, his limbs were limp, and he soon stopped breathing.
A letter fell out of the suddenly wide T-shirt. Written in elegant regular script on the envelope was the message: To Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo rubbed his solar plexus and took a deep breath.
Such a scary letter was delivered so early in the morning. The person behind it was coming with such a strong momentum.
Qi Qian picked up the letter, opened it, and read: "Miss Xu, I'm glad to hear from you. I've been ill for a while now, so it's inconvenient for us to meet in person. Why don't we go to the experimental area right away... It's two kilometers underground from the base."
Xu Nuo took the letter and said, "It's an obvious trap, why would you go there?"
Qi Qian said nothing. She lowered her head and saw the letter saying:
Fino has installed an underground spray system at the base. If the two fail to arrive within the time limit, the system will automatically release catalytic agents throughout the residential area.
"I give in."
—
The two arrived at their destination as scheduled before noon. They were greeted by a robot receptionist at the door, passed through multiple encrypted doors, and entered the elevator.
Not long after, when the elevator door opened, a familiar corridor appeared before our eyes. Its decoration and configuration imitated the White Tower, and it was almost a one-to-one replica of the abandoned underground experimental area at the Vulcan Cup site.
A few steps further and you will reach the verification center that caused Qi Qian pain in the past. It is a huge white room with a searchlight projected from the top and a lonely, weathered wooden table underneath.
Xu Nuo said, "So, this is the laboratory that tortured you as a child?"
Qi Qian did not deny it: "After I left the laboratory, the first base I arrived at was Pang Feng."
The robot led them around in circles, the lab was empty, until they came to the familiar raw materials area.
A playground-sized, pure white display area, with hundreds of metal culture chambers standing in a certain order in the center. The chambers were filled with thick rust-green liquid, and the outlines of the monsters in the liquid were much more sinister than anything seen before.
As soon as you enter, the door behind you closes quickly, the metal cabin makes a deflation sound, rusty green liquid leaks out, and the door slowly opens.
Xu Nuo sneered: "This Yan State map is too short. Do you think you can use this to stop the S-level sentinels?"
The reception robot turned its body and aimed at her, projecting holographic images in its eyes.
In the center of the picture was a little boy with blond hair and black eyes, who looked no more than fourteen years old. He said coldly, "I want you to be buried with your father!"
Xu Nuo: "Are you Zhou Junlin's adopted son?"
Although the little boy was young, his eyes were filled with viciousness: "I want you, Pang Feng Base, and Zhou Xuanyi to all die...!"
Before he could finish his words, ice crystals suddenly exploded, freezing the entire raw material area and all the mutants who had not yet left the cabin.
The temperature dropped suddenly, and Xu Nuo shivered: "Didn't you say I would come?"
Qi Qian looked at the pool of rust-green liquid leaking out of the metal cabin. "The mutants are not even A-level, so they can't hold me back for long. There's something wrong with this liquid. It vaporizes quickly once it leaves the cabin, and I'll involuntarily release the black mist to devour them."
Xu Nuo remembered the last time in the abandoned experimental area, Wei Yan directly swallowed these liquids and monsters, which later caused fusion fever.
"Despicable." She punched the robot.
The holographic screen flickered, and a smug look flashed in the boy's eyes. "As long as you step out of the raw materials area, in three minutes, the city's spray system will automatically activate. At the same time, the base's self-destruct sequence will countdown. What will you choose..."
The robot was frozen in frost.
Qi Qian: "The surveillance system in this room has been destroyed."
Xu Nuo nodded and turned to call Xiao Gu. The little bird chirped and its sharp beak pierced through the metal door.
The moment the door was opened, frost rushed out from the raw materials area, freezing the corridor and all areas.
"Time is running out, we have to assign tasks." Xu Nuo rolled up his sleeves and said.
Qi Qian lowered his head and turned his bracelet.
"Beep, silent mode is off, anti-field interference function is running."
"Beep, beep, external field detected, field interference level: five."
Xu Nuo glanced at the bracelet: "Wow, it's smart, it can also monitor the field level. Zhou Xuanyi's stuff is pretty good."
Fortunately, I asked him for two before leaving. Otherwise, due to time constraints, I might have been careless and really got into trouble.
Qi Qian thought for a moment and said, "You go and catch the people. I'm familiar with the terrain and will go and disarm the spray system."
"Okay." Xu Nuo nodded, rode on Xiaogu and prepared to set off.
Qi Qian suddenly grabbed her hand and said, "Is that okay? This kid is probably also an A-rank Sentinel."
Xu Nuo hugged Xiao Gu's neck and said, "Of course, no problem. I'll do it as soon as possible. By the way, you must leave before the explosion to ensure your safety. I will do the same."
Qi Qian put down his hand. "In the background of the video, he's in the explosion-proof room on the seventh floor underground. There's a staircase at the end of the corridor. When you come back, take the stairs in the opposite direction. Don't go back the same way."
"be safe!"
Xu Nuo got on Xiaogu and left quickly.
Before coming here, Qi Qian checked the route here. If this was the laboratory where he worked as a child, the route would be the same.
Xu Nuo reached the end of the corridor and saw an elevator, stairs and a poster with a picture of the overall structure of the laboratory.
It’s true that the explosion-proof room is located on the seventh underground floor, but the map shows that there is no second passage back from the underground except the staircase in front.
Xu Nuo glanced at the map and rushed down the stairs.
There was no one in the laboratory, so she quickly found the conspicuous explosion-proof room. Standing in front of the door, before she had time to think of a solution, her facial scan directly showed that she had passed.
A robotic voice at the door announced, "Chairman Xu, welcome to the Fino A1 laboratory. The laboratory will initiate its self-destruct sequence in two minutes. Please proceed to the explosion-proof room."
Xu Nuo entered the explosion-proof room.
Compared to the test areas outside which are often the size of a football field, the space here is not large and is filled with supplies and survival equipment. Xu Nuo even saw generators and anti-radiation suits.
This scale of explosion protection...is it for nuclear explosions?
Xu Nuo looked around carefully.
The little boy is not here.
She suddenly realized something, turned around and ran towards the door, but was blocked inside by the door that slammed shut.
Xu Nuo banged on the door and shouted, "Qi Qian! You lied to me, let me out!"
Little Gu flew up and hit the door, but the door seemed much stronger than the experimental area, and Little Gu couldn't even leave a beak mark.
"Let me out! Let me help you! Are you unsure how to disarm the spray system?"
"90 seconds remaining until the explosion. Director Xu, please wear protective clothing according to explosion-proof procedures to avoid the passageway collapsing and causing injury due to the large explosion equivalent."
"80 seconds left until self-destruction, please Director Xu..."
The explosion-proof notice played in a loop like a death urging. Xu Nuo banged on the door, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
"Qi Qian!"
Her cries were in vain; the explosion-proof room was deep underground and he couldn't hear her at all.
"elder sister."
The bracelet's sensor light lit up, and Qi Qian's voice came from the other side, very quietly.
"I almost forgot this bracelet has an intercom function," he said. "Has my sister entered the explosion-proof room?"
Xu Nuo wiped away her tears: "Did you know from the beginning that he was going to detonate a nuclear bomb?"
Qi Qian was stunned at first, then he smiled: "It's not a nuclear bomb, it's just that the explosion is powerful and there is radiation. I can't guarantee your safety."
"What about you? Can you guarantee your own safety?"
Qi Qian was silent for a moment, his breathing a little hurried in the quiet environment: "Whatever my sister wants to do, I want to accompany her to do it."
"Even if I die?"
Qi Qian did not answer.
Xu Nuo closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently.
Crazy, really crazy, how could she never realize that her brother was a complete lunatic.
She would rather die just to accomplish what she wants?!
"70 seconds remaining until the explosion. Director Xu, please wear protective clothing according to explosion-proof procedures to avoid the passageway collapsing and causing injuries due to the large explosion equivalent."
She opened her eyes, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes again, and adjusted her breathing: "Where are you now?"
Qi Qian was very calm: "Control Center, here we have set up the spray system and self-destruct program."
Xu Nuo: “What are you doing?”
Qi Qian: "Try to deactivate the spray system."
"What about the explosion?"
Qi Qian avoided answering.
Xu Nuo gave an ugly smile: "You can't do this to me. We finally met again. You make me feel...hateful. I was so arrogant to come here, and now I want to kill you."
"If you still have me as your sister, come over and stay with me in the explosion-proof room. We still have a chance."
"What about Pang Fei Base?" Qi Qian remained unmoved. "Those residents and the entire base will probably suffer. My sister will definitely blame herself and feel sad if she can't save everyone."
"And me," he said, smiling lightly, "if I die from this, they will just feel at ease."
Xu Nuo felt his chest tighten and murmured, "But I need you... Qi Qian, I need you."
"If I die, will my sister be sad?"
"How can I not be sad? You are my..."
"There are 50 seconds left until the explosion. Director Xu, please wear protective clothing according to explosion-proof procedures to avoid the passageway collapsing and causing injuries due to the large explosion equivalent."
Xu Nuo is not a saint and cannot think of a way to have the best of both worlds, but now, she cannot accept losing him.
"Qi Qian, come back! We don't care about anything else!"
There was a rustling sound from the bracelet, and after a while, Qi Qian's voice came: "Found it."
He seemed to have done something, and the program's vague prompt chimed on the other end: "Good news, the spray system has five seconds left to disarm. The data model of the self-destruct program shows that the aftermath of the explosion will only affect the edge of Pangfeng and will not cause too much damage to the base."
Xu Nuo's heart tightened: "Can't the explosion setting be canceled?"
"The spray system allows for manual control of volume and area. I found a staff member's authorization card and quickly deactivated it. But this self-destruct sequence... I don't have the necessary authorization."
"But we can try. How many seconds are left?"
Xu Nuo heard his own voice trembling: "...Thirty seconds. Qi Qian... please come back, I..."
"I need to make sure the spray system is successfully deactivated. It's too late," Qi Qian interrupted softly, "Sister, everything is over. I can really rest now."
"No! Qi Qian!"
After Qi Qian finished scanning his irises, he sat down next to the console.
He took a breath and looked towards the explosion-proof room: "Sister, in fact, I have worked very hard in the past three years to reunite with you."
Countdown to explosion, twenty-five seconds.
"When I was in the White Tower, I didn't deliberately not reply to my sister's letters. It was me who didn't receive a single letter."
"At that time, I had to prove to the White Tower that I could maintain my sanity and control my behavior. I submitted to the tests in the White Tower laboratory. Every time, whenever I felt like I was going to die, I thought of my sister and was able to hold on."
"If I had received a letter from my sister at that time, knowing that she was still waiting for me, I wouldn't have been so painful."
"I know..." Xu Nuo burst into tears.
Fifteen seconds.
"Sister, I often wonder when I will die."
"But I didn't expect to be so lucky that I could keep talking to you before I die."
Ten seconds.
"I know I'm very important to my sister, but my sister... is the most important person to me."
"There's something I've wanted to tell my sister since we first met again."
Xu Nuo squatted down with his knees hugged: "Stop talking, Qi Qian..."
"No, I will say."
"Even if I die, I will leave a mark in my sister's heart."
Five seconds.
"I don't want to treat Xu Nuo as my sister."
Two seconds.
"Promise."
"I like you."
The countdown returns to zero.
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